Just Right
by Rita Screecher
Summary: A feel-good H/Hr Christmas romance. Pure fluff. PG-13 for innuendo.


Title: Just Right  
Author: Rita Screecher  
Author email: ritascreecher@excite.com  
Category: romance  
Keywords: Harry, Hermione  
Spoilers: none  
Rating: PG-13 for innuendo  
Summary: Harry and Hermione's 5th year Christmas  
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
A/N: Yes, this is my first piece of pure, unblemished fluff! *bows deeply amid polite applause from the audience*  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Hermione?"  
  
She shut the book hastily and looked up, innocent. "Yes?"  
  
Harry came closer. "What are you reading?" He reached over and plucked the paperback out of her hands. " 'Throbbing Potions' ?" He raised an eyebrow at Hermione and she blushed.  
  
"Ginny gave it to me for Christmas," she offered. Harry shook his head and grinned.  
  
"So you'd rather read this than the new edition of Hogwarts, A History I gave you for Christmas?" he asked.  
  
"Well...yeah! I'm not that bookish, Harry. I like some adventure and romance in my reading now and then. Can't exactly get that from Hogwarts, A History, can I?"  
  
Harry opened the book to a random page and began reading aloud, a slight smirk dancing on his face. Hermione pulled her purple frilly bathrobe closer around herself, listening to Harry read, his voice rising and falling with the words. Halfway down the page, he fumbled for a seat, and Hermione shifted over on the couch to make room for him. He sat gratefully, never missing a beat, never breaking off from his reading.  
  
*  
  
"Oh Rebecca, my beloved," Thomas breathed, hugging her lithe body close. "Never leave me again. I thought my heart would break...I even wore the orange vinyl pants you gave me every single day you were gone, in a vain attempt to cling to something, anything, that reminded me of you."  
  
Rebecca sighed, her ample chest heaving. She began to sob and clung to Thomas' leather trenchcoat like a drowning woman. "I thought I was going to die, Thomas. I couldn't sleep with you gone. The horses, Thomas, the horses..."  
  
*  
  
Harry paused. " 'The horses?" he repeated.  
  
"Oh, the horses keep her up at night," Hermione said. "She hates them. She gets Thomas to chase them away every night, so she can sleep well."  
  
"...right, then," Harry said finally, and continued reading.  
  
*  
  
"...I even mixed a potion for me to drink, a poison."  
  
"No," Thomas said roughly, shaking her. "No!"  
  
"Yes!" Rebecca shouted. "The one that uses the feather of a male duck and the ear of a pink cat."  
  
"No!" Thomas screamed. "Anything but that! Oh, what a torturous death that potion gives the drinker! How could you?"  
  
"Hush!" Rebecca said, almost giddy. "I did it, I mixed it. But it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter because I love you, and thus I didn't drink the potion. I love you, Thomas, I love you!"  
  
Thomas grabbed Rebecca and forced her tear-streaked face up towards his. They stared into each other's eyes for a while, Rebecca's stormy green ones mingling with Thomas' clear blue ones. Then he bent and captured her tiny, perfect mouth with his own, chapped lips. She strained against him, trying to get more of his taste. Her tears fell on his face, until Thomas no longer knew if she was crying, or if the tears were coming from him.  
  
After ten minutes or so, they broke off the kiss, panting a bit. Rebecca gazed down the length of Thomas' body, and began to laugh a little through her tears.  
  
"Your socks," she smiled. "They're yellow and polka-dotted. Oh, and they're wet! However did that happen?"  
  
"And you're looking down there because?" Thomas said teasingly. Rebecca's expression changed into one of hunger.  
  
"You know why I'm looking down there, Thomas," she breathed. Thomas' expression changed as well. He picked Rebecca up and carried her into the bedroom.  
  
*  
  
Harry stopped reading aloud. His eyes widened as he read rapidly down the page. "That's impossible!" he sputtered.  
  
"What is?" Hermione said, interested.  
  
"Well, it's just...well, you can't ride a bent broom!"  
  
Hermione stared and began laughing at him in earnest. She rolled onto the floor, still in hysterics, dragging her quilt down with her in tangles. Unfortunately (or fortunately), Harry had been sitting on top of the quilt, and he was pulled down to the floor as well. He landed next to Hermione, and she suddenly stopped giggling and froze. His face was very close to hers. She quickly thought of what she had for dinner and if her breath was rancid or not. Realizing she had garlic bread, she shut her mouth with a snap and tried to breathe through her nose.  
  
"Say something," Harry whispered. He was apparently as uncomfortable as she.  
  
Hermione automatically opened her mouth and said the first thing that was on her mind: "My favorite letter is 'h'."  
  
Harry stared at her. "Why?"  
  
"Oh, use your imagination, Hhhhharry," Hermione replied, exasperated.  
  
Harry didn't say anything. Hermione was just about to burst out with, "Harry, you prat, it's my favorite letter because it's the first letter in your name!" when quite unexpectedly (or not so very unexpectedly), he leaned forward and kissed her on the mouth.  
  
It was so quick that Hermione almost didn't realize what he had done. Harry pulled away instantly, his face coloring. He stared at her, and she stared back.  
  
"Happy...happy Christmas, Hermione," he managed. Hermione didn't reply. She was still looking at him, her mouth slightly ajar. Harry began to get up, but she pulled him back down to the ground and kissed him back. This one lasted a bit longer, but still as sloppy. It took both some time to properly find each other's lips (Hermione had actually kissed Harry's nose at first), for one, and then they didn't know what to do after that.  
  
Finally they broke apart. Hermione found her voice and said, "Happy Christmas, Harry."  
  
The two looked at one another again. Then in perfect unison, they stood up quickly, brushing themselves off, Hermione folding the quilt up neatly. Harry handed the paperback book back to Hermione, and she accepted it with a blush.  
  
"That - wasn't quite how I expected my first kiss," Hermione blurted out, breaking the uncomfortable silence.  
  
"Me neither," Harry confessed.  
  
"But it was pretty nice," both thought privately.  
  
They stared at each other and smiled again. Then, blushing, they exited the common room together to head down to the Great Hall for the Christmas feast. Harry took Hermione's hand as they stepped down from the portrait hole, and though both hands were sweaty, it felt just right. 


End file.
